Sharp sees 30% price drop for 13in flat panel displays

Looks to big money smaller screens

Sharp, Japan's largest manufacturer of LCDs, is saying prices of flat panels bigger than 13in will drop 30 per cent in price by March 2001.

The projection has pushed Sharp into boosting small flat-panel screen production because it believes profitability in smaller screens will be better than that of the larger displays. It will grow small panel production by 46 per cent this year and 30 per cent next year.

Sharp makes the screens for Nintendo's GameBoy, as well as for mobile phones and car navigation devices. ®